Cabinetry and dressers are often times fitted with latching mechanisms that allow the drawers or doors of the cabinet to maintain a shut position. As the doors or drawers close, a spring loaded latched releases into a catch or cavity and prevents the door or drawer from opening until a handle is released or some other opening mechanism is activated. These may be paddle-type releases, such as those sold by the assignee of the present invention Ryadon Inc. of Foothill Ranch, Calif. These latching mechanisms are well known in the art, and an assortment of these latching mechanisms are shown at http://www.ryadon.com/latches.
One example of a latching mechanism for a cabinet or drawers is a button latch. Button latches typically have cylindrical housings with a spring loaded, beveled latch bolt mounted in the housing for retraction therein. The beveled front edge of the latch bolt is designed to make contact with the surface of the latch and cause the latch bolt to retreat into the housing of the button latch against the biasing of the spring. The latch bolt continues to retreat into the housing as the surface bears against the latch bolt until the latch bolt clears the surface. A cavity sized to receive the latch bolt captures the latch bolt as the spring, no longer compressed by the cabinet surface, releases to secure the drawer or door to the cabinet. The latch bolt may have a tab that projects out of the opposite end of the housing, such that retraction of the tab by a handle or the like withdraws the latch bolt back into the housing. In this event, the door may then again be opened as the interference between the latch bolt and the cabinet is eliminated when the latch bolt is withdrawn.
The foregoing operation and structure is well known in the art. However, because the button latches have substantially cylindrical housings that are inserted into a bore in the cabinet or dresser door/drawer, it is prone to loosening as the drawer/door is repeated opened and closed with the inherent jarring that occurs. As the button latch loosens, it can then become dislodged from the cabinet and there is little that can be done to prevent further detachments. Accordingly, what is needed is a mechanism for preventing a button latch from becoming dislodged once placed in a cabinet, dresser, housing, or the like.